Author Notes:

This chapter is all about Yamato and a little bit of Luffy. It's mostly told from Yamato's side of things while Luffy isn't entirely Luffy. I hope you guys enjoy this more thorough dive into the events of child Yamato and Luffy. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Darkness is the only thing Luffy saw after U touched his forehead. His senses flared up, attempting to find a sign of anything in this darkness but he found none. He stood, on what? He had no idea, but he was standing nonetheless. He attempted to use his voice but it did not come. He grew increasingly more frustrated at his predicament and just as he was about to start boxing the empty space, a shimmer caught his eye. A shimmer flashed across the space in front of him and after it pulsated for a few moments he was suddenly blinded by a brilliantly bright white light. He shielded his eyes and after it died down he was face-to-face with a hazy moment. It moved as if it was real and Luffy took a moment to realize the image was focusing in and out. He saw one person looking down at him as if he was viewing them from a cradle position. The image focused and a beautiful woman came into clear view. She looked exhausted, flushed, and sweaty as her hair stuck to her forehead. Regardless of this, she smiled warmly at Luffy and made cooing noises at him as she wiggled her thumb toward the viewing port. Her voice graced Luffy's ears and he felt a warmth spread over his body.

"Hello, my love. Welcome to the world, Luffy."

Luffy's eyes widened in the realization that he was most likely viewing a memory. This was likely what U meant by resetting! He didn't think he meant it so far back. Luffy looked at the memory and it soon faded away into nothingness. He was then greeted by another one starting up and he flinched gently at who it was showing. It was his grandfather, Garp, looking significantly younger than Luffy remembered seeing him. Garp smiled widely as he broke out into a toothy grin and looked up at something out of view. His boisterous voice pierced the silence.

"A fine-looking boy you have here, Son."

"Thanks, Dad."

The voice responding was out of Luffy's view but he didn't mind it. He didn't really want to see his Dad. The memory faded and the next that came to view showed a significant time passage. His view was moving around swiftly through a home. He knew it to be Garp's home on Dawn Island. He knew it well. He heard a door click open and his younger self must have as well because he turned and ran to a railing overlooking the front door and the lower level. He saw Garp entering and closing the door behind him with a young girl in tow. She held his hand and looked around at her new surroundings. She looked no older than four years old, likely the same age as Luffy.

"Luffy!"

Garp's voice bellowed and caused young Luffy to clasp his hands over his ears.

"Get your butt down here."

Luffy's viewing port ran for the stairs, shuffled down them with efficient speed, and came face-to-face with the girl. She stood a head taller than Luffy with a stockier build than he. She had shoulder-length white hair with the faintest glimpse of aqua green beginning at the ends. Accompanying her interesting hair was two reddish-orange horns jutting out from her skull. Adult Luffy knew exactly who this girl was and flailed his arms while mentally shouting her name. His younger self did no such thing though. The girl focused her golden eyes upon him and immediately broke out in a grin.

"Luffy!!"

The girl shouted with glee as she ran toward the boy and hugged him with gusto. His younger self spoke for the first time.

"Woah! Who are you?!"

Adult Luffy could see the words practically carving out the girl's heart. He growled in anger at his powerlessness as he watched the girl back away with sadness in her eyes. She reared up and quickly ran away crying. Garp grew infuriated and belted Luffy upside the head.

"What did I do?!"

The memory faded and Luffy was greeted with a montage of sorts showing his life with the girl and their training with his grandfather. It was intense to be seeing these events again but he was grateful he wasn't truly living it again. The montage continued up to his first meeting with Shanks, Uta, and the whole red-haired pirate group. It moved past that point and eventually showed his stabbing himself and the scolding he received from all who cared for him. It showed him entering the forest alone and he was suddenly bombarded by a feeling of nausea and aching as the darkness began to crumble and soon enough he was sent flying upwards as the darkness faded into a rapidly flowing tunnel of white light. His mind felt as if it might explode as he flew around and around until *SLAM*. His mind crumbled into darkness as everything faded to black.

Yamato stood frozen in place as some strange dark figure spoke about her being an honorary Straw Hat. She attempted to look to her side as best as she could but could only move her eyes back and forth. She could see someone to her immediate left, a much shorter blue-haired woman. To her right, she could see the orange-haired navigator she had befriended only weeks before, Nami. Beyond her immediate peripheral vision, she could see no one else. The figure moved toward her and reached his elongated arm up to her forehead and she was sent careening into unconsciousness.

She fell through a dark void tumbling around feeling nauseous and achy as the void began fading into white light. She felt the pressure on her body increase incrementally as she fell, the pressure only building more and more causing her to feel suffocated. She felt like she might explode if forced to endure much longer but thankfully she began to feel sensations in her limbs. She felt a certain popping sensation as the pressure around her disappeared and gave her great relief. She managed to look below her and see a black hole growing ever more rapidly. She started to feel panicked as it grew faster and faster until she was just upon it and with a weighty *SLAM*, she was knocked out once more.

Yamato felt her senses return to her as she opened her eyes and was met with a dimly lit ship storage. She only had a moment of respite before she heard the familiar whistle of an oncoming cannonball before it detonated the hull next to her and sent her flying forward with dangerous force causing her to slam into a barrel. She was incredibly durable but for some reason that hurt very much. Only after that thought occurred did she look down at herself. She was a child again!

"What the hell?! Why am I itty bitty?" Yamato questioned.

If one looked hard enough they might just be able to see a physical question mark appear above her small horns. She patted herself down but when she heard another whistling sound she scrambled for the stairs very much not wanting a repeat of moments prior. She pushed with all her might to open the heavy metal hatch that stood between her and the deck of the ship. After a moment of struggling, she finally got it to budge and pushed it open completely. She beheld a chaotic scene before her. The beast pirates were scrambling around with weapons and barking orders to one another. Gunfire and cannon fire were erupting left and right giving no moment of quiet. Yamato saw cannon balls fly overhead and slam into different sections of the ship but her eyes locked on to one stray coming her way. She scrambled to her, feet ran away from the storage opening, and took cover behind a barrel as she heard the cannonball hit. She peeked over the top of the barrel and noticed the little light that was present through the overcast sky was fading quickly. She watched as the sky overhead darkened with storm clouds emitting purple lightning. It was then that dread filled her stomach. Someone she very much didn't want to see, was on the move. A giant black-haired azure dragon flew through the sky overhead as it readied a breath weapon blast in its throat. The flames began spilling out as an orb took form.

"Bolo Breath!"

The dragon spoke his named attack and launched it at a foe yet unseen to Yamato. She waited with bated breath for the inevitable explosion but she heard a mighty gruff voice yell out in retaliation.

"Galaxy Divide!"

A massive shockwave rocked the ship as a vertical wave of energy hit the azure dragon causing it to fall into the ship and shift back down to size. A few Beast Pirate members paled in horror as they ran away from the edge of the ship screaming out, "It's the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp!"

Yamato knew that family name and quickly ran from behind the barrels and over to the side of the ship where she saw a massive mountain of a man holding his bicep as his blackened fist sparked with Conqueror's Haki. The man wore a gray suit with a marine coat on his shoulders. He had a full head of gray hair with an equally gray beard to match. The marine burst out laughing with gusto as his eyes closed showing crow's feet age lines, a sign that the man laughed often. The large D-shaped smile made Yamato think of another member of that family. She couldn't reminisce for long as the ship lurched and threatened to throw her overboard. She turned back to where the dragon had landed and saw a massive dragon humanoid emerge from the debris.

"Wororororo! I can see why they call you Garp the Fist!"

The man bellowed as he eyed Garp from the deck. Garp let his fist return to normal as he huffed out in annoyance.

"Consider yourself lucky, Kaido. I don't have time to waste on you right now." Garp spoke firmly as he addressed his men.

"Bolster yourselves, men! Follow Sengoku's orders, retreat!" The marines yelled in response as they began pulling out of the fight laying down retreating fire.

Yamato quickly decided she had to get to Luffy, so she snatched one of the ropes hanging down and stepped back a bit before running to the edge of the ship with the intent to swing over to the marine ship. While she did so, Kaido and Garp had one final exchange.

"Wororo! That's right, run away like a coward." Kaido sneered mockingly.

Garp's forehead vein bulged as he leaped off the back of the ship with incredible speed and flew toward Kaido. Kaido stood defiantly without an ounce of worry as Garp cocked his fist back and hardened it with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. He bellowed out his named attack.

"Galaxy Impact!!"

Garp's fist landed square on Kaido's jaw and detonated a blast of pure forceful energy. The pure force of the punch sent Kaido through the deck. It also lifted Yamato off the rope she was swinging on and threw her toward the marine ship right through a lower deck door. Garp smiled proudly as he made it back to the marine ship and sailed away from the battle.

Yamato stood up from her being flung and dusted herself off.

"This is all so confusing." She spoke to herself as she took a look around.

She immediately noticed an abundance of food stored in the room with her. It was at the sight of food that she felt her stomach growl and hunger take over. Without hesitation, she scampered over to the fruits, bread, and dried meats. She cracked open any containers she could and went to town with impressive speed. She stuffed food into her mouth practically inhaling it as she chomp-chomped and munch-munched. In her moment of food bliss, she failed to notice a man standing behind her. He wore a tanned suit with a brimmed hat covering his eyes. He had a marine coat upon his shoulders and a katana at his side. He showed no hostility and merely watched Yamato for a moment longer, truth be told, he was impressed that the child's gusto seemed to match that of Garp's. A feat in itself. After he had his fill he spoke up as he reached down and snatched the mini glutton up by the collar of her outfit.

"Easy there, stowaway. You'll get a stomach ache at this rate." He smiled gently at Yamato.

Yamato had her hands clasped over her mouth as her cheeks bulged comically full of food. She swallowed with effort and rubbed the back of her neck as she laughed nervously.

"Ehehe…um… sorry!"

Yamato avoided the man's gaze sheepishly.

"Don't worry. Out of all the marine ships to end up on, you got lucky landing here. Garp's a softie when it comes to troublesome children." The man chuckled good-naturedly as he tucked Yamato under his arm and headed for the exit.

"With that being said, you still have to be taken to him. Off we go."

Yamato watched as the man opened the exit and walked out onto a busy ship. Marine men were diligently completing various tasks, some of which ranged from tying knots to running through drills with their platoon. It was all a lot to take in but she realized quickly that a few men took notice of her. They seemed intrigued but a handful of them scowled at her. She shrank into the man's side in an attempt to hide herself. The man walked up a set of stairs and entered a new room. He walked by a war table suspended in the middle of the room by a set of chains on each corner. He moved to a large set of double sliding doors with two viewing windows on each. He knocked and was responded to immediately.

"Enter."

The man slid one of the doors open before closing it and speaking to the monstrous man enjoying a large steak.

"Garp, we have a stowaway."

The man gestured to Yamato under his arm as he set her down in the chair. She stared at the man as he simply cut up more meat and ate it while eyeing her. His gaze was scrutinizing and bore through her causing her to sweat nervously.

"Name?"

Yamato took a moment to register that she had been asked a question but once she realized it she spoke up quickly.

"Yamato!"

"Yamato? A fine name. Tell me, Yamato, what were you doing on Kaido's ship? Hmm?"

"H-how did you know I came from Kaido's ship?…"

"Well, you weren't here before the battle, and we haven't stopped anywhere else yet. So, you had to have come from Kaido's ship. I'll ask again, what were you doing there?"

"I…my father was on the ship."

"Ah, is that it? Who's your father?"

"Um…no one important. Just a guy."

"Lying? On a Marine ship? I can't have that. Try again."

"Fine. My father is Kaido. He had me locked in the under storage and I got out during the end of the battle. I saw your clash with him and made a decision to hide on this ship."

Garp went quiet for a moment as he resumed eating after having stopped to question Yamato. He ate a couple of bites before speaking once more.

"Do you want to be a Marine?"

Yamato went quiet and mentally thought through what she should say.

I should lie to him in hopes that he buys it and maybe he'll take me to Luffy by chance. If not then I'm stuck being a Marine! Ugh, well, it beats being raised by Dad.

Yamato shifted her weight as she responded.

"Yes."

Garp looked to the man in the doorway and waved his hand.

"You may leave us, Bogard."

Bogard nodded and took his leave from the room and shut the door behind him. Garp stood up and walked around behind Yamato and paced back and forth behind her.

"The path of a marine is a just and noble cause! You'll be responsible for protecting the peace we have against Pirates and other ilk. I'll whip you into a damn fine Marine but unfortunately, you're too young to enlist. So, I have a home on Dawn Island that I'm going to take you to. There you'll meet my grandson who will also be a great Marine someday! Together you two will undergo my training. Get ready, it's not for soft-skinned individuals. It'll be hell." Garp laughed menacingly as he towered over Yamato. The scared oni girl looked up at the man and shakily raised her fist into the air.

"Yay…?"

Garp smiled as he ruffled her hair and stepped toward the door. He opened it and called for Yamato to follow him. She did as she was told and followed the man out of the room, onto the deck, and through many Marine grunts. He stopped at a small bed stuffed into the corner of the barracks.

"This is where you'll be staying until we reach Dawn Island. It's about a week-long trip from here so better get comfy. You can rest for now but tomorrow onward, you'll be taught Marine basics by book!" Garp laughed at the face of anguish Yamato made at hearing the word book and left her to her thoughts.

What have I gotten myself into?

Over the week-long trip, Garp stayed true to his word and Yamato was taught the basics of the Marines. Most of the time it was taught to her by a random Marine woman she didn't know but other times Bogard taught her as well. She enjoyed those days more, Bogard was a nice man. Before she knew it, the journey reached its end and they arrived at Dawn Island, specifically the port of a cute little windmill village named Fusha Village. Garp told his men to gather supplies while he ran an errand. He beckoned Yamato to follow him and she did just that. As she reached the off ramp leading down to the dock she turned around and spotted Bogard. She ran up to the man and hugged his leg.

"Bye, Mr. Bogard."

Bogard smiled gently as he patted Yamato's head and spoke somberly.

"See you around, kid."

Yamato let go of the man and ran off the ship quickly joining Garp as they walked down the main road. A short, wiry, bespectacled man strode up to Garp with a smile. The man wore a funny off-white hat with red stripes running horizontally around the body.

"Garp! It's good to see you again."

"Woop Slap! Good to see you as well. How are things?"

"Oh quite quiet these days. Luffy occasionally tears through town but other than that nothing exciting."

"Wahahaha! That's my grandson! Speaking of, is he at my house right now?"

"Oh yes!"

"Excellent! Come along now, Yamato!"

Yamato followed after Garp but met eyes with Woop Slap momentarily. He had a look of worry and disapproval. It made her uncomfortable so she hurried along with an increased pace. She caught up to Garp and strolled alongside him as she looked at his hand moving back and forth by his side. She knew him to be a harsh yet caring man, very much like a grandfather. She found herself caring for the man and wanted to show him affection, though she worried he may scold her for it. He didn't seem the hugs and kisses kind of man. She hardened her resolve as she reached up for the man's hand. Garp noticed her gesture and took her hand before she reached his own. Yamato squeaked in surprise, having not expected the movement. She smiled happily as the pep in her step lightened. Garp smiled as well and mentally drilled himself.

Dammit all. Yet another kid I've grown a liking to. Why must I be like this?'

The rest of the walk was comfortably silent as they soon approached Garp's humble little home. It was a quaint little gray home surrounded by lush green forestry and overlooking the brilliantly blue sea. Garp opened the door and let Yamato step inside as he shut the door, never letting his hand go from her own. Yamato took a look around at her new surroundings as she jumped at the sound of Garp's bellowing voice.

"Luffy! Get your butt down here!"

A young Luffy came scampering down the stairs as he came to a stop in front of Yamato. Yamato was beyond happy to see a familiar face. She enjoyed Garp's presence but it was relieving to see the face of someone she knew so well, she was ecstatic. She felt her emotions burst forth in the form of a grin and ran straight to the boy.

"Luffy!!"

She yelled as she scooped the boy off his feet and squeezed him tightly. The boy groaned and croaked out painfully.

"Woah! Who are you?"

She felt her blood run cold as she heard Luffy speak those words to her. She loosened her grip and noticed his gaze was full of confusion, no familiarity whatsoever.

He doesn't remember?

She let go of the confused boy and was going to play off the hurt she felt in her heart but it was too much. She felt a forceful choking feeling wiggle its way into her throat as her eyes blurred with tears. She couldn't take it and ran away from the poor confused boy and ran to a plush chair. She jumped into the chair and curled herself up as she let her tears fall and her sobs escaped her lips. She knew she had no reason to be so distraught. She felt foolish for thinking Luffy would remember her, she just assumed because she remembered. Whatever thing did this to them clearly didn't want to make it easy. She remained curled up until she felt a large and callous hand touch her back accompanied by a soft yet gravelly voice.

"Yamato? You alright sweetheart? Luffy didn't mean to hurt your feelings. He's an idiot is all. Why don't you try again? I told him what's going to be happening from now on."

Yamato let out a shaky breath as she rubbed the snot from her nose and the wet tears from her cheeks. She uncurled herself and moved around to face Garp. He had a gentle and loving look on his face, it was odd to see but it made her feel better. She took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"Okay!"

Garp smiled at her with relief as she got off the large chair and made her way back to the front of the house where Luffy sat on the couch kicking his feet against the side of it as he rubbed the back of his head. She rounded the side and Luffy quickly spotted her. He jumped, slid off the couch, and approached her. He bowed his head and apologized.

"I'm sorry if I said something hurtful!"

Yamato laughed at the nervousness Luffy was showing from his apology. She patted his head as he stood up straight and looked up at her. She smiled and tilted her head to the side.

"No worries! I'm sorry for getting so emotional. I was really excited to meet you and be your friend! It all kinda came crashing down at once."

Luffy smiled in return as Garp laughed happily and grabbed both of the kids and hoisted them up onto his shoulders.

"Excellent! Now that that's resolved I only have a few hours before I need to head back to Headquarters and you two have training that needs to be done!"

Yamato was the first to speak up.

"How much can you really train us in only a few hours?" She asked curiously. She failed to notice Luffy's frantic eyes as he waved his head negatively.

"Oh? You'd be surprised! Now off we go!"

"No Grandpa! Don't make me!"

"Hush Luffy, time is burning! You'll both be strong Marines yet! Wahahaha!!"

Garp ran off into the forest with the two terrified children. Intense training had begun.

Yamato exhaustedly collapsed onto the floor as soon as her foot passed the door threshold. Luffy followed suit and face-planted beside Yamato. Garp entered last with a jovial grin and stepped over his grandkids. Yes, plural! It's been just shy of three years and the now seven-year-old Luffy, and eleven-year-old Yamato were enduring the torture that was Garp's training. In that time the three had grown increasingly closer and Garp began to call Yamato his granddaughter. Yamato's relationship with Luffy had improved as well. She made peace with only herself remembering and deciding she would live in the now with this Luffy. The training they had endured over the last three years was nothing short of a living hell. Garp was ruthless and justified his insane methods by claiming it would make the two into the most powerful Marines that had ever lived.

The two children groaned into the floor as Garp laughed at their pain and plopped down onto the couch.

"Why do you do this to us, Grandpa?" Yamato whined on the floor.

"Yeah, why?" Luffy echoed.

"Wahaha! It'll make you both strong! Besides, today was a light day."

The two children whined at Garp's response and remained on the floor. Garp smiled warmly at the two. Despite complaining about his training they had both improved considerably in the last three years.

"I want to talk to you two about something but first I want you both to go bathe. You look like filthy gremlins."

"Ah! No, I don't wanna!!" Luffy rebelled.

Garp gave a serious look to Yamato and she instantly understood.

Yamato stood and did a soldier salute with a click of her heels and ran up the stairs while dragging Luffy to his soapy doom. He attempted to resist but Yamato was too strong.

"AAAAAaaaaahhh…!!" Luffy's fading scream echoed against the walls as silence fell over the house. After a few minutes, a loud splash echoed across the house. Victory. Garp smiled to himself as he got up from his chair and walked to his liquor cabinet where poured himself a much-deserved drink.

Yamato and Luffy didn't take long in the bath and were dressed and present before Garp in no time. He gestured for them to sit down across from him to which they obliged. Garp sat with his alcoholic drink in hand and took a long sip of it before setting it down on the table in front of him. He interlocked his fingers and finally spoke to his grandchildren.

"So, as you know I'm due back at the Marine Headquarters by the end of this week. That's pretty normal stuff where I'm gone for a few months and then I return home but"—Garp hesitated and tightened his grip on his own hand—"I'll be gone for at least a year this time."

Luffy scrunched his face up only mildly at this news. This was a common occurrence before Yamato entered their lives but since then Garp had made his presence more plentiful in the two children's lives. It still upset him though to hear this news.

Yamato on the other hand had grown very attached to the three-person family dynamic and although Garp would leave for stretches at a time the longest he had been gone was two months. This would be an entire year. She felt her eyes become blurry but slammed her little fist against her knee. She rubbed any threatening tears from her eyes and nodded with a neutral expression.

"Okay, Grandpa. It's sad but Luffy and I will be alright. We have each other!" Yamato spoke happily as she wrapped her arm around Luffy's neck and pulled him into a side embrace.

Garp smiled warmly at the brave face his granddaughter had put on. He knew she was more upset about it than she let on but he was proud of her for holding it together.

"That's good. You two behave yourselves while I'm gone okay? Makino will be checking in on you two from time to time. I want you to keep up with your training and hunting too, okay?" Garp pointed a finger at each grandchild while giving them an expectant look.

"Aye aye, Granddad!" Luffy responded as he and Yamato smiled at one another.

Garp knew they would be okay. He would return and resume their training to become strong marines. Nothing could possibly change that now. Surely not. (Wink wink.)

"Grandpa has only been gone a week and I already miss him!" Yamato whined aloud.

"How can you miss him so much, Yamato? He was always training us with his scary methods and throwing us into crazy situations all in the name of becoming strong Marines!!" Luffy yelled at Yamato.

"Mmm, that's true but he was nice when he wanted to be." Yamato smiled affectionately at the memories of Garp spoiling her.

"Yeah, to you." Luffy spat begrudgingly.

"Trust in the process, Luffy. You'll end up being so strong in the future you have no idea!"

"And you do? How do you know for sure?"

"Hm? Oh! Uh…I just do! Don't worry about it. Call it sibling intuition!"

"So, a mystery feeling?"

"…"

"…"

"Yes, Luffy. A mystery feeling."

"Shishishishi! I knew it!"

"C'mon genius, let's go visit Makino."

"Yes!"

Luffy ran after Yamato as the two children gathered their things and prepared to leave home for the Party's Bar.

The Party's Bar was mildly busy by the time Yamato and Luffy had arrived. The sun had just set and the few night goers were gathered at the bar set up in the corner at a large round table. Most of them were young adults but there was the odd grown adult in the mix. Yamato and Luffy entered the bar and just as they did so one of the members at the table jumped up and shouted with glee–"Nat 20!!"–while pumping his fist victoriously.

The two children were taken aback by the sudden exclamation but decided to sneak their way closer to see what it was the group was playing. They saw the group moving around small figurines that looked like pirates and rolling different-sided dice in a turn-based fashion. One person at the head of the table had a small foldable screen in front of them hiding what they were doing. One member noticed the children and spoke up in acknowledgment.

"Hey there, kiddos. What are you two up to?"

Yamato eyed the game and pointed while speaking –"What are you playing?"– she turned to face the man she knew to be named Naito.

"Oh, this? It's called P , Pirates & Pilfer! It's a game about pirates where we get to roleplay as one and immerse ourselves into it as if we're really there."

Both Luffy and Yamato lit up at the game and squished themselves up against the table practically gnawing at it to get a better view.

"Can we play?" Luffy yelled out as he stared wide-eyed at the cool miniatures.

"Sorry, guys. Not this time, but if you're really that interested we can set something up for the future!"

The children pouted in defeat but eventually smiled and agreed to try it another time. With that out of the way, the two made their way over to the bar where Makino stood cleaning mugs. They each climbed up on a stool and greeted Makino.

"Hello, Makino!" "Hi, Makino!!!" Both yelled in unison.

"Luffy," Yamato groaned, "easy on the volume."

"Bossy," he said, hoping Yamato didn't hear him.

Makino placed the mug she had been cleaning on a shelf with many more just like it as she turned and faced the children with a smile.

"Hey, you two! Hungry?"

She smiled at the two very happy-looking children and took that as her answer. She turned and made her way to the back of the bar through a door and began making food for the two hungry gremlins.

"Oh boy! I'm so hungry!" Luffy yelled, rubbing his stomach as if he hadn't eaten in years.

"You're always hungry, Luffy," Yamato spoke with a laugh as she watched the boy salivate.

Noises caught the attention of the children and the P group as they all turned toward the entrance. They heard shuffling and screams as bodies moved past the bar in a reckless rush. One member of the P group stood up and moved toward the entrance to see if they could see what was happening but as they approached the swinging set of doors they were suddenly flung open by a distressed citizen.

The citizen was huffing heavily and held her hands on her knees as she attempted to catch her breath. Once she finished huffing she very loudly yelled out into the bar, "Pirates!!"

Everyone's blood ran cold at the mention of the word and soon even Makino had joined the happenings. She acted quickly and grabbed Luffy and Yamato with a surprising level of strength and made her way to the exit alongside the P group and the distressed woman. Just as the citizen turned to exit she ran face-first into the broad and rugged chest of a man from the sea. The woman fell backward whilst clutching her nose. Unfortunately, her fall caused her to hit Makino's knees sending her careening backward onto her butt and breaking her hold on Luffy and Yamato. Everyone still standing cowered backward as the man moved through the door followed closely by his crew.

The leading man stood at an average height with a harmless-looking face and a non-threatening glint in his eyes. He had a large three-mark scar over his left eye and a thin stubble of facial hair peppered along his face. His most striking feature was his vibrant red hair that adorned his head, messily covered by a weathered straw hat. He looked harmless but radiated a commanding energy.

The second to follow the red-haired man was a very tall and well-built man smoking a cigarette. The man stood a head taller than the leader and sported a slicked-back head of midnight black hair tied together in a ponytail. His face was considerably more angry looking as he had age lines forming under his eyes. Regardless of them, he held a neutral expression and crossed his arms over his chest showing his scarred forearms off.

The third to enter was a dark-skinned, thin, tired-looking man. He adorned a blue headband that read: 'Yasopp' and a full head of muddy-blonde dreadlocks flowing down to his shoulders with a thin pencil beard to match. He twirled a flintlock pistol around his finger as he stopped next to the leader.

The fourth and hopefully final man was much bigger than the previous three both in height and width. The dark-skinned man looked akin to a walking beach ball with a green and white striped shirt and a large green sash housing his flintlock pistols. He wore a matching bandana and tinted red goggles over his eyes. He also seemed to have a permanent grin plastered on his round face that never faded and had a death grip on a piece of meat that was already partially eaten.

The red-haired man turned his attention downward to Makino and the two children. Makino quickly snatched up Yamato and Luffy in her embrace and held them close to her chest as she attempted to scoot back away from the pirate.

The man smiled weakly as he slowly offered her a hand.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry for barging in."

Makino wouldn't budge. Luffy and Yamato looked at the man and felt curiosity bubble up to their surface. They knew this man was going to change their lives. In more ways than one.

"You're no pirate, Luffy!" Uta belittled as she upturned her nose at the raven-haired boy.

"Uta, knock it off already! You're not helping." Yamato scolded the polychromatic-haired girl.

"Hmph! I don't care. Luffy can't compare himself to my dad! Dad is way cooler than him. He even has cool scars! You don't have anything, Luffy!" Uta stuck her tongue out at the boy.

"Grrrrr, damn it,"–Luffy frazzled his hair in frustration–"I'll show you, Uta!"

Luffy stomped off angrily and made his way into Makino's bar. He stomped across the bar and through the storage door in the back as Makino watched him disappear behind the door frame. He emerged moments later with a sharp knife and stomped back across the bar and through the swinging doors all the while ignoring Makino's attempts to get his attention. He took off into a sprint toward Shank's ship, ran across the deck, climbed his way up the prow, and stood atop while hoisting his knife up in the air. He saw eyes turn to him but he only focused on Uta and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm cool too! Just watch!"

Luffy placed a firm grip on the knife as he turned the blade to face his eye and took a deep but shaky breath. He then took the dive and plunged the knife into the skin just under his left eye. He tore at his skin and after a moment or two he wailed out crying in pain, "OOOOOOOUUUUCCH!!!"

Everyone yelled out at Luffy in pure angered unison, "YOU IDIOT!!"

Luffy sat in a chair at Makino's bar as she sewed up his injury and covered it with a bandage. Luffy's eyes were red and tear-stained and his ears were ringing from all the scolding he had received. Makino smiled sympathetically as she rubbed the loose tears from his eyes and cupped his cheeks gently.

"You need to be more careful in the future. Okay, Luffy?"

Luffy felt anger build up in his stomach as he grumbled, sliding off the chair and jerking away from Makino. He took off stomping and made his way to the forest. He had no idea how to get home but he knew it was in this general direction so he figured he would just go until he got there. As he made his way into a clearing he suddenly felt incredibly nauseous and dizzy as his eyes began to blur and his limbs grew heavy. He stumbled forward but failed to remain standing as he felt his head explode with searing pain. He clenched his skull and roared in pain.

"Aaaaaghh!!"

He felt his mind begin to overwhelm as memories flooded his consciousness. It overflowed and eventually, for a split second, he remembered everything. He had regained all that was thought lost. However, the enjoyment of this moment didn't last. He saw black patches appear in his vision and almost immediately he fell forward and was greeted by darkness.

Author Notes:

So, how was it? I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will be about our dynamic duo meeting Ace and Sabo! I'm also making a rather bold choice for the next chapter. It's happening early on and I think it'll make for a really fun story. I hope y'all will like it!